MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – It was a jubilant Friday night on all fronts at Pucillo Gymnasium: Emma Ludwig passed Missy Rauhauser to become Millersville women's volleyball's all-time leader in assists and the Marauders celebrated their return to the 'Ville with a thorough trouncing of the Golden Bears. The hosts swept the visitors out of the gymnasium, winning each set by at least eight points to claim their first victory since Sept. 25. 

The outcome of the match was not so obvious in the beginning, as Kutztown kept pace until the first game was tied at seven. Millersville put together a 9-1 run to distance itself from the opposition by eight points. In that stretch, they took advantage of six Golden Bear errors. The margin stayed around eight for the rest of the game and another visitor miscue gave Millersville the 25-17 win. 
 
The Marauders were up 14-12 in the next set when they put it away for good with two separate runs. The first was a four-point spurt to make the score 18-12, and the second came after Kutztown had responded with two points of its own. It was a 5-0 run, making the score 23-14. The day's history came on the next Marauder score. Ludwig tied the record with a dime to Caroline Halsey in the midst of that run and claimed it for good with another to Emma Kerwin to go up 24-14. Millersville volleyball head coach Brian Smith called timeout and her teammates rushed from the sidelines to congratulate the school's newest record holder. 
 
"I knew I needed a certain amount to finish it," Ludwig said of the moment. "I could see my teammates getting ready to celebrate and I was just trying to block it out. But once I did it, I was happy for my teammates more than anything. They're the ones that got me here. I couldn't have done any of this without their hitting or their passing. I couldn't have done it without them. So I'm immensely grateful that they were all here to celebrate it with me. It means the world to be back at home, for the first game back in Pucillo. It was just so special."
 
After the celebration had died down, there was still a match to be won. Fittingly, it was Ludwig who put home one of her five kills to take the set and a 2-0 lead. 
 
The Marauders kept their foot on the pedal in the third set, leaping out to a 13-6 lead to ensure that the win didn't slip away. Kylee Schurig was the primary form of offense for Millersville, tallying four of her nine total kills during this stretch. From that point on, the outcome was never in doubt, and the hosts cruised to a 25-16 win. 

POSTGAME REACTION FROM BRIAN SMITH: 

• On getting back in the win column: "It feels great. We talked about it a little at the team meeting before the match; If we were going to make a push, it had to start today. We needed to go out and have a good game and get a win. It felt great to be back in our gym."
• On Ludwig's record-breaking moment: "It's tearing me up, thinking about all those memories. I'm sure she's probably relieved to have that done, and I think I am, too. Now she can just enjoy the rest of her season and not think about that. I don't really think she was focused on it anyway, but it doesn't matter when everybody around you, just like any sport, starts kind of hyping it up a bit. It was also nice to have it done at home and in a three-game sweep."

GAME NOTES

• It was the Marauders' first match in the friendly confines of Pucillo Gymnasium. Each prior home match was held at either Penn Manor High School or the Student Memorial Center. Despite the team's nomadic travels, their record at home is a sparkling 8-2. 
• With the win, Millersville moves to 2-4 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play. That's good for a fifth place tie with Lock Haven in the PSAC East. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• It has been 10,933 days since Missy Rauhauser set assist number 3,580 in her career, which was the mark that Ludwig surpassed. The date was Nov. 12, 1994 when that occurred. 

UP NEXT:

• The Marauders are back in action against East Stroudsburg on Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. That match will be held in Pucillo Gymnasium.